Air pollution: South Coast Air Quality Management District: mobile sources: Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Senator Richardson’s measure introduces a temporary framework to govern any South Coast air district action that imposes new port-related emissions-reduction requirements, tying those actions to port-led assessments of energy, costs, funding, workforce, and environmental impacts. The core change requires the ports to prepare comprehensive assessments and to use those assessments to set and adjust timelines for achieving the action’s targets, with an explicit mechanism to request extensions.

Under the proposal, a qualifying board action initiated on or after mid-2025 would obligate the ports to (1) recognize contributions from sources outside port control, (2) prepare energy-demand and -supply analyses, cost estimates, funding sources, workforce implications, and environmental-impact assessments, and (3) rely on those assessments to determine timelines and to create an extension process for those timelines. The action would be prohibited from imposing caps on cargo throughput or cruise-ship passengers, and from using public funds to promote automation or remotely operated equipment. The measure would, however, permit the procurement and operation of human-operated, zero-emission equipment to support port operations. It would remain in effect only until early 2031.

The bill situates these requirements within the existing regulatory framework by creating a state-mandated local-program dynamic, with reimbursement rules if state-mandated costs are determined. The accompanying findings acknowledge the broader regulatory landscape, noting the California Air Resources Board’s role in vehicular emissions, the potential for indirect-source controls, and port-specific emissions reductions already achieved through prior plans and regulations. Authors describe a special-statute approach as warranted by the unique port context and the district’s potential actions.

Implementation would hinge on coordination between the ports and the district, with a focus on structured, evidence-based timeline development and a defined extension process. By design, the measure bars throughput caps and automation-funding incentives, and it foregrounds a finite, sunset period that invites future legislative assessment. The policy context centers on balancing environmental objectives with port operations while preserving flexibility to respond to evolving conditions within a clearly bounded timeframe.